Know exactly where your SMS stands - before the regulator does.
We audit your Safety Management System against Australian Marine Order 504, assess your recent on-vessel compliance activity, and deliver a comprehensive written report with clear recommendations and a practical pathway to full compliance.
Marine Order 504
Audited against current Australian domestic commercial vessel legislation.
3–4 hours
Typical audit duration. Fast, thorough, and no disruption to your operations.
SMS + live activity
We review both your SMS content and your actual recent compliance behaviour on the vessel.
Actionable report
Clear findings, specific recommendations, and a practical improvement pathway - not just a compliance score.
What we audit - your SMS
A full review of your Safety Management System against MO504
We audit every element of your SMS against the requirements of Marine Order 504 - assessing not just whether the content exists, but whether it is relevant, current, and actually applicable to your vessel and operation. Generic or template content that doesn't reflect your real operation is flagged.
Policies, Procedures & Risk
- ✓Safety policies and management commitments
- ✓Risk assessments - relevance and currency
- ✓Safe work procedures for all key activities
- ✓Emergency procedures - man overboard, fire, flooding, grounding
- ✓Emergency contacts and notification procedures
- ✓Passenger safety briefings where applicable
Operational Systems & Records
- ✓Crewing arrangements and crew qualifications
- ✓Planned maintenance schedules and records
- ✓Vessel and safety equipment inventory
- ✓Startup and shutdown checklists
- ✓Crew induction checklists and completion records
- ✓Mandatory safety drills - schedules, scripts, and records
What we audit - compliance activity
Your SMS is only as good as how it's actually being used
Having a compliant SMS document is one thing. What regulators and surveyors look for is evidence that the SMS is being actively used - that logs are being completed, drills are being run, defects are being reported, and maintenance is happening on schedule. We audit that activity directly inside OffshoreSMS.
Trips & voyage records
Are trips being logged consistently? Are departure and arrival records complete and accurate?
Crew inductions
Are crew members being inducted before going on the water? Is this being recorded and signed off?
Safety drills
Are mandatory safety drills being completed on schedule and documented as required under MO504?
Defect reporting
Are defects and near-misses being reported, assigned, and resolved - with a clear audit trail?
Maintenance completion
Is planned maintenance being completed to schedule? Are overdue items flagged and resolved?
Inventory & incidents
Is safety equipment inventory being managed? Are incidents being reported and followed up correctly?
The audit report
A comprehensive report you can act on - and share with regulators
The audit report isn't a checklist with ticks and crosses. It's a detailed written assessment of where your SMS and compliance activity currently stands, with specific findings and clear recommendations for what needs to change.
What the report covers
- ✓Overall compliance rating against Marine Order 504
- ✓Section-by-section findings across your SMS
- ✓Assessment of compliance activity and record-keeping
- ✓Feedback on content quality, relevance, and accuracy
- ✓Specific recommendations and suggested follow-up actions
- ✓A clear improvement pathway - what to fix, and in what order
Direct action support
Where findings require action from your crew, we can go further than just recommending - we can directly assign tasks to skippers or crew inside OffshoreSMS to complete specific elements of the audit process.
- ✓Tasks assigned directly to named crew members
- ✓Completion tracked in OffshoreSMS
- ✓Clear accountability for follow-up actions
- ✓Progress visible to fleet managers in real time
How it works
Simple, remote, and no disruption to your vessel
The entire audit is conducted remotely inside your OffshoreSMS account - no site visits, no paperwork, no disruption to your operations. We only need temporary read access to your account.
Share access
Grant our team temporary read access to your OffshoreSMS account. You stay in full control - we only review what's needed for the audit and remove access once the report is delivered.
We conduct the audit
Our team reviews your SMS content section by section against Marine Order 504, then assesses your recent compliance activity - typically completing the full audit within 3–4 hours.
Report & follow-up
We deliver a comprehensive written report with findings and recommendations. Where follow-up actions are required, we walk you through the improvement pathway - and can assign tasks directly to crew if needed.
Who it's for
Any commercial operator who wants confidence in their compliance position
You don't need to be facing an imminent audit to benefit from a compliance review. Most operators who commission an audit tell us they learned something they didn't know - and fixed it before it became a problem.
Pre-audit preparation
Operators expecting an upcoming AMSA survey, maritime authority audit, or insurance review who want to identify and resolve any gaps beforehand - not during.
SMS not reviewed recently
Vessels where the SMS hasn't been formally reviewed in some time, or where operational changes - new routes, new crew, new vessel - mean the SMS may no longer reflect current reality.
Fleet operators
Fleet managers who want a consistent compliance baseline across their entire fleet - or need to demonstrate to insurers or regulators that their safety management is actively maintained.
Pricing & getting started
Straightforward pricing - no surprises
SMS audits are priced based on the number of vessels and the complexity of the operation. Single vessel audits are typically completed within 2–3 hours. Fleet audits are scoped together where vessels share operational similarities, which significantly reduces the per-vessel cost.
2–3 hours typical
Most audits are completed within a half day. No disruption to your operations - everything is done remotely inside OffshoreSMS.
Fleet pricing available
Auditing multiple vessels at once? Where vessels share operational similarities, we scope them together - reducing cost per vessel significantly.
Includes follow-up support
The audit fee includes the written report and a follow-up discussion of findings - we don't just send a PDF and disappear.
Remediation available
If the audit identifies gaps in your SMS content, we can quote separately to fix them - using our SMS Development service.
Ready to book, or not sure what's involved?
Send us a message with your vessel name, fleet size, and any specific concerns you'd like us to focus on. We'll come back to you with a clear scope, pricing, and available timeslots.
Or call us on 0447 139 382